Metal expanding machine



Patented June 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METALEXIZ EZIIIZMAUHINE I 9 Claims.

My invention pertains to expanding and rolling metal and moreparticularly to an improved metal working machine for expanding pistons.

It is an object of my invention to provide a 5 metal working machinecomprising a drive shaft journalled in a housing which is pivotallysecured at one end to a countershaft housing for driving a countershaftjournalled therethrough and comprising mechanical power driving means 10interconnected between'the ends of the shafts projecting from'adjacentends of the two housings, metal rolling rollers secured upon the ends ofthe shafts projecting from the opposite ends of said housings and a stoplimit for limiting the 15 spaced apartrelation of said rollers as apiece of metal is passed therebetween.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a metal rolling machineof the above type wherein one of the metal rolling rollers isoscillatably *journalled upon a. bulged portion of its shaft and driventhrough a loose connecting driving member whereby the oscillatableroller is free to wobble on the shaft whereby contact pressure is easedwhen ,a lump or burr approaches the rollers whereby the formation of adefect or rough spot in the spun metal is avoided. Similarly, thisfeature accommodates metal which has surfaces that are not parallel.

It is a further object of my invention to pro- 0 vide a metal rollingmachine of the above type wherein the connecting means between thejoined ends of the housings comprises a slack motion pivot connectionand by inserting a compression spring to react between said housings 35intermediate the pivotal connection and the stop limit means, thehousings are automatically releasable to permit a wider separation ofsaid metal rolling rollers when an excessive pressure is developedtherebetween.

A further object of my invention is the provision in such a machine ofspring means in such a position that the driving gears are automaticallyrelieved of pressure when adjustment of the rollers is being made, thegears being thrown 45 sufficiently out of pitch diameter mesh to keepthem from chattering, also to keep the rollers from rotating irregularlyand to insure a tension pressure upon the gears at all times.

The novel features that I consider character- 50 istic of my inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The inventionitself, however, both as to its organization and-its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbest be un- 55 derstood from the following description of a specificembodiment, when read-in"connection with the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my metal expanding machine;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view showing the metal rolling end of themachine;

Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view showing the driving end of themachine;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken vertically through themachine on section line 5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view thereof on line 66 of Fig. 3.-

Referring more specifically to the figures of the drawing, my improvedmetal working machine comprises a countershaft housing I which is acasting of suitable metal of substantial thickness to provide thenecessary strength and rigidity. The housing I has upstanding bracketarms 0 3 cast integral therewith and projecting upwardly from both sidesof the housing at an intermediate position thereon.

The upper ends of the brackets 3 are joined by a bridging member 5 whichis provided with a vertical aperture suitably threaded for receiving athreaded limit stop shaft 1 therein. Upon the upper end of the limitstop shaft 1, I provide a transversely disposed handle 9 whereby theshaft may be turned and adjusted vertically in the stop limit bracket 3.

The countershaft housing I is adapted to journal a countershaft II inbearings I3 and I5 which are provided in opposite ends of the housing.The bearing I5 comprises a suitable 5 inserted block and the end of theshaft II which is journalled therein is turned. to a small diameter toprovide a shoulder abutting the adjacent end of the bearing block I5.The ends of the shaft I I project from the housing, and upon the end ofthe shaft projecting from the bearing I5,

I provide suitable power driving means, such as a. gear wheel IT, whichcomprises an extended hub portion I9,which is provided with a suitableaperture through which a pin 21 is passed through a correspondingaperture in the end of the shaft for securing the gear wheel rigidlythereon.

The other end of the shaft II which projects outwardly from the bearingI3 in the housing is provided with a bulged portion 23 which provides aspherical bearing surface near the end of the shaft. Upon the sphericalbearing 23 an the end of the shaft I I, I mount a roller 25 which isprovided with a cylindrical bore passing axially therethrough of asuitable diameter to fit oscillatably thereon. The terminal portion ofthe shaft extending outwardly from the bearing surface 23 is providedwith a. transverse aperture for receiving a driving pin 21 which extendsradially therethrough. The outermost end 29 of the driving pin 21 isturned at right angles in substantially parallel relation to the axis ofthe shaft H and fits freely into an aperture of suitable diameter whichis provided in the roller 25.

A drive shaft housing 3| is provided which is preferably a heavy castingof sufficient thickness to provide the necessary strength and rigidity.The drive shaft housing 3| is relatively narrow and passes freelybetween the stop limit bracket members 3 between which it is freelyadjustable against the stop limit shaft 1.

At the right hand end of the drive shaft housing 3|,, 9. dependingbearing portion 33 is provided which comprises a depending pivot lug 35adja cent the outer end thereof. A pivot pin 31 is provided which passesthrough a suitable aperture in the lug and both ends of the pivot pin 31project from the drive shaft housing 3| where they are iournalledloosely in apertures 39 provided in opposite sides of the countershafthousing I.

In this manner the drive shaft housing 3| is pivotally mounted at oneend upon one end of the countershaft housing and the pivot pin bearingapertures 39 in the countershaft housing are sufficiently larger indiameter than the diameter of the pivot pin 31 to provide apredetermined degree of slack motion between the housings;

35 At the left hand end of the drive shaft housing 3|, as viewed in thedrawing, I provide a. second bearing 4| depending therefrom. Thedepending bearing portions 33 and 4| adjacent the ends of the housing 3|provide suitable bearings in which a drive shaft 43 is journalledextending therefrom at both ends.

Upon the end of the shaft 43 projecting from the drive shaft housing 3|adjacent the pivotally mounted end thereof, I mount a gear wheel 45 for45 operatively meshing with the teeth of the gear wheel provided on theadjacent end of the countershaft while providing sufficient slack motionbetween the gears to permit pivot-a1 movement of the housing 3| relativeto the housing For securing the drive gear 45 on the drive shaft 43, thegear is provided with a hub 41 projecting therefrom and suitablyapertured to receive a pin 49 which passes through a correspondingaperture provided in the shaft, as will be readily 5 understood. Theouter end of the drive shaft 43 is sufficiently extended to receive thehub 5| of a crank 53 which is secured to the shaft in any suitablemanner as by a set screw 55. The outwardly projecting end of the crank53 is provided with a convenient handle 51 whereby the crank can beconveniently manipulated for rotating the drive shaft 43.

Upon the other projecting end of the drive shaft 43, I mount a metalexpander and rolling roller 6| comprising a hub 63 suitably apertured toreceive a pin 65 passing through a corresponding aperture in the end ofthe drive shaft, as will be readily understood. In this manner therolling roller BI is rigidly secured upon the end of the drive shaft forspinning metal against the guide roller 25 which is oscillatably mountedon the adjacent projecting end of the countershaft The rolling roller 6which is relatively narrow as compared with the guide roller 25, isprovided on its outer rolling surface with serrations which ex- 2 aosamstend circumferentialiy thereabout for working the metal as will bereadily understood.

The bearings are provided with suitable lubricating apertures 61 and, aswill be readily understood, a lining of any suitable bearing materialmay be provided. For convenience, the bearing plug I5 may be providedwith any self-lubricating bearing, if desired.

For normally biasing the pivotally connected housings and 3| apart andinsuring proper ten- 10 sion pressure of the gears at all times, Iprovide a heavy compression spring 69 which reacts between the housingsto push them apart. For this purpose the heavy compression spring 69 isdisposed to react between the housings at a point 15 adjacent the pivotpin 3'! and between it and the limit stop member I, and the innerportion of the depending bearing 33 of the housing 3| is provided with asmooth flat surface which is adapted to snugly receive one end of thecompression spring 29 B9. The upper surface of the bearing I5 in thecountershaft housing is likewise provided with a smooth, flat surfacefor snugly receiving the adjacent end of the biasing spring 69.

To prepare the machine for operation, the ad- 23 justable limit stop Iis turned in its threadably engaged aperture in the brackets 3 to movethe pivotally mounted drive shaft housing 3|, which is continuouslyurged against the lower end of the shaft I by the biasing spring 69,until the 39 rolling roller BI is suitably spaced from the guide roller25. The heavy compression spring 69 thus serves at all times to hold thepivotally mounted drive shaft housing firmly abutting the rounded lowerend of the adjustable stop shaft 1 w and also to normally take up theslack in the loose motion pivot connection in a predetermined direction.

In operation the metal to be worked by the machine is placed between therollers and the 40 adjusting handle 9 is turned to cause the rollingroller 6| to bear upon it with a suitable degree of pressure. By meansof the handle 51, the crank 53 is then turned to rotate the drive shaft43 and the countershaft The narrow rolling 45 roller 6| and the wideguide roller 25 are thus both simultaneously driven to pass the metalthrough between them. A circular or cylindrical metallic member may thusbe worked continuously. Also my metal rolling machine is par- 50ticularly useful for rolling the skirts of pistons for expanding thesame. This is accomplished by inserting the edge of the piston skirtbetween the roller so that the narrower serrated roller 6| runs aroundthe inside of the piston. The handle is 55 then turned to work therollers back and forth over the portion of the piston to be expandedwhile working it further between the rollers. It will be also understoodthat a flat piece of metal can be worked in my machine by passing itback 60 and forth, and the machine may be successfully utilized forworkingmetals, such as cast iron, steel, copper, aluminum, alloy and thelike.

If too great a reduction is attempted, there is a tendency to roll aknuckle into the metal or C5 to pull the metal to an excessive extentbut in accordance with the arrangement of the rollers on my machine, thelower or guide roller is oscillatably mounted upon the bulged bearingsurface upon the countershaft whereby it is free to wobble and thus toease the contact pressure when a lump or burr approaches the contactpoint between the rollers. This operation tends to distribute thecontact pressure and thus to 75 distribute the metal uniformly withoutinjuring the work.

Also in accordance with my arrangement the work is still furthersafe-guarded by the slack motion pivotal connection between thehousings. If during the operation the degree of pressure developedbetween the rollers becomes excessive. the pivoted drive shaft housing3| is caused to oscillate about the contact point on the lower end ofstop limit shaft 1 thus permitting the rolling roller 6! to recede fromthe guide roller 25. In this operation the pivotally connected ends ofthe housings, normally held apart by the spring 69, move together. Thisis possible because of the slack motion of the pivot pin 31 in the largepivoting apertures 89 provided in the housing I.

Aside from the specific embodiment of the invention herein shown anddescribed, it will be understood that numerous details of theconstruction may be altered or omitted without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as disclosed and claimed, and that I do notdesire to limit the invention to the exact construction herein setforth.

I claim:

1. A metal rolling machine comprising a countershaft housing, bearingmeans in said housing, a countershaft journaled in said bearing meansand extending through said housing. a drive shaft housing, bearing meansin said drive shaft housing, a drive shaft journalled in said bearingmeans and extending through said drive shaft housing, means forpivotally journalling one end of the drive shaft housing to one end ofthe countershaft housing, mechanical power driving means interconnectedbetween the ends of said shafts projecting from the pivotally joinedends of said housings, metal rolling rollers disposed on the oppositeends of said shafts for rolling metal therebetween, and stop limit meansfor limiting the spaced relation of said rollers to produce apredetermined pressure upon metal rolled therebetween.

2. A metal rolling machine comprising a countershaft housing, bearingmeans in said housing, a countershaft joumalled'in said hearing meansand extending through said housing, a drive shaft housing, bearing meansin said driveshaft housing, a drive shaft journalled in said bearingmeans and extending through said drive shaft housing, means forpivotally journalling one end of the drive shaft housing to one end ofthe countershaft housing, mechanical power driving means interconnectedbetween the ends of said shafts projecting from the pivotallyjoined'ends of said housings, a first metal rolling. roller secured onthe opposite end of one of said shafts, a second rolling rolleroscillatably mounted upon the adjacent end of the other shaft forrolling metal against said first metal roller,

'a bulged bearing portion on the adjacent end of the other shaft, asecond rolling roller oscillatably mounted thereon for rolling metalagainst said first metal roller, a slack motion driving member connectedbetween said other shaft and said second rolling roller whereby thelatter is free to wobble on the shaft to distribute the contact pressurewhen a lump or burr in the rolled metal approaches the contact pointbetween said rollers, and stop limit means for limiting the relativeseparating movement of said housings and hence the spaced relationbetween said rollers as metal passes therebetween. 4. A metal rollingmachine comprising a countershaft housing, bearing means in saidhousing, a countershaft journalled in said bearing means and extendingthrough said housin a drive shaft housing, bearing means in said driveshaft housing, a drive shaft journalled in said bearing means andextending through said drive shaft housing, slack motion connectingmeans for connecting corresponding ends of said housings, mechanicalpower driving means interconnected between the ends of the shaftsprojecting from the connected ends of said housings, metal rollingrollers disposed on the'opposite ends of said shafts for rolling metaltherebetween, a limit stop intermediately disposed for limiting therelative separating movement of said housings and hence the spacedrelation between said rollers as metal passes therebetween, and acompression spring intermediate said stop and said connecting means tonormally take up the slack in a predetermined direction whereby anexcessive pressure generated between said rolling rollers spreads thembeyond said spaced relation.

5. The combination in a metal rollingand expanding machine of a pair ofrollers, means for pivotally supporting said rollers in adjacentrelation comprising a shaft for supporting each one of said rollers,means for securing one of said rollers rigidly to its shaft, means foroscillatably supporting the other one of the rollers upon its respectiveshaft, and supporting means providing bearings for said shafts.

6. The combination in a metal rolling and expanding machine of a pair ofrollers, means for pivotally supporting said rollers in adjacentrelation comprising a shaft for supporting each one of said rollers,means for securing one of said rollers rigidly to its shaft, a bulgedportion providing convex bearing surfaces on the other shaft, acylindrical aperture disposed axially in the other roller for fittingfreely over said bulged portion, a member loosely connected between saidother roller and said other shaft, and supporting means providingbearings for said shafts.

7. The combination in a metal rolling and expanding machine of a pair ofrollers, means for pivotally supporting said rollers in adjacentrelation comprising a shaft for supporting each one of said rollers,means for securing one of said rollers rigidly to its shaft, means foroscillatably supporting the other one of the rollers upon its respectiveshaft, supporting housings providing bearing means for journalling eachone of said shafts respectively, means for pivotally interconnectingsaid housings, and stop means for adjustably limiting the relativepivotal movement between said housings.

8. The combination in a metal rolling and expanding machine of a pair ofrollers, means for pivotally supporting said rollers in adjacentrelation comprising a shaft for supporting each one of said rollers,means for securing one of said rollers rigidly to its shaft, a bulgedportion providing convex bearing surfaces on the other shaft, aCylindrical aperture disposed axially in the other roller for fittingfreely over said bulged por tion, a member loosely connected betweensaid other roller and said other shaft, supporting housings providingbearing means for journalling each one of said shafts respectively,means for pivotally interconnecting said housings, and stop means foradjustably limiting the relative pivotal movement between said housings.

9. The combination in a metal rolling and expanding machine of a pair.of rollers, means for rotatably supporting said rollers in adjacentrelation for rolling metal therebetween comprising a separate shaft forsupporting each roller, supporting housings each providing bearing meansJAMES J. CARROLL.

